I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise,Regardless of others, ever regardful of others,Maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man,Stuff'd with the stuff that is coarse and stuff'd with the stuffThat is fine,

In this first section Whitman helps a reader understand and shows a repeated notion that can be seen throughout his works.

Whitman being of, “old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise, …” shows how he does not choose one extreme over the other. He simply embodies them both and helps readers understand that in life you don’t have to choose sides as humans it is perfectly okay to be, “ Stuff’d with the stuff that is coarse and stuff’d with the stuff that is fine, …” strength as well as weakness.